Historic Irvington

Irvington Community Council September Meeting

2009-09-22T09:31:00.001-04:00

The September meeting of the Irvington Community Council was a barn burner, or so we
thought it would be one. With all the energy and time being spent on emails, petitions, and wild conjecture about secret plans for the Children's Guardian Home, we thought we would see more than just over a dozen people at our meeting to discuss
the Guardian Home. We did spend most of the meeting discussing what has happened so far (some really exciting possibilities) in this process of trying to recommend to the City new uses for the facility and no one seemed to object to the Guardian Home
Re-Use Committees work or the Council's participation in the process. There were a few people who spoke of rumors or fears they have of the Guardian Home becoming some sort of detention facility. They offered nothing beyond conjecture. And there was no petition offered as promised. We will say to you what was said to everyone at our meeting, go to the Re-Use Committee meetings and see for yourself. All of these meeting have been open to the public and you are encouraged attend. The next meeting is Tuesday, September 22nd at 6:00pm at the Guardian Home.

The remaining few minutes of our meeting went very quickly, updates on a wide variety of subjects. The Council did agree to play a key role in finding a
consensus on the community wants at Ellenberger Park. The first notice for the first meeting towards that end is below. More information will follow in the coming weeks.

The next meeting of the Irvington Community Council is October 20th at 7:00pm in Fellowship Hall of the Irvington Presbyterian Church.

Ellenberger Park Community Meeting

2009-09-22T09:29:00.000-04:00

The Irvington Community Council will host a neighborhood meeting on Wednesday, October 7, 2009 at 6:30pm at the Ellenberger Park Ice Rink to discuss recent closures and the future of Ellenberger. Recent dialog between the Irvington Community Council, IndyParks, and our City-County Councilors, Ben Hunter and Mary Moriarty Adams, has reopened discussion of the future of Ellenberger Park facilities. The Irvington Community Council wants to hear from you, the users of the Ellenberger Park, the residents of Irvington and other Eastside communities, about what you see as the future of Ellenberger Park.

Pennsy Trial Ribbon Cutting

2009-09-22T09:25:00.002-04:00

Join us along with Mayor Greg Ballard and others for the ribbon cutting on the first section of the Pennsy Trail on Saturday, September 26th at 8:00am. The ceremony will take place on the new Pennsy Trail at the Shadeland bridge. This is a great amenity for the east side, one that will add value to properties adjacent to the trail and encourage a healthy lifestyle for residents.

Storm Clean-up and Debris Removal Information

2009-08-06T17:39:00.001-04:00

As many phone and cable lines are down in Irvington, please help spread the word by verbally communicating this information to your friends and neighbors.
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CITY IMPLEMENTS SPECIAL EFFORT TO ASSIST RESIDENTS IN DISPOSAL OF TREE LIMB DEBRIS IN HARDEST HIT AREA OF STORM

To assist residents in disposal of large tree debris, beginning Monday, August 10, DPW's Solid Waste Division will begin monitoring the area experiencing the most damage in down trees bordered by 10th St. (north), Brookville Rd. (south), Kitley St.(east) and Sherman Ave. (west) and will pick up large tree and limb debris.

"In addition to clearing public areas, we want to ensure that we provide as much assistance as we can to residents who need help with disposal of large wooded debris," said DPW Director David Sherman.

"We can't encroach upon private property, but if residents can get the debris to the curb over the weekend, we'll have vehicles out to pick it up during the week."

City workers are not able to access private property to remove any wooded debris, so residents must ensure that large tree and/or limb debris is placed at the curb.

Smaller wooded debris should be cut and bundled into 3 foot lengths weighing not more than 40lbs and placed so that the bundles can be collected with regular trash pick-up.

Residents outside the boundaries of the heaviest hit area should contact the MAC at 327-4622.

Children's Guardian Home Still Viable?

2009-06-08T11:04:00.000-04:00

That's the headline of an article in The Indianapolis Star this morning and a question being posed to the body that oversees the Marion County Children's Guardian Home. According to the story, the Marion County Board of Commissioners has scheduled a special meeting for tomorrow morning to hear a motion by Commissioner Greg Bowes to rescind an earlier Commission resolution to close the home on June 30, 2009.

The decision to close the facility was prompted in April when the Commission learned that a major component of the facilities funding would not continue past the end of June. The Marion County Children's Guardian Home has been providing shelter and care for abused and neglected children for over 110 years in the Irvington facility. The Commission meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 9th at 8:30am in Room 260 (second floor) of the City-County Building, 200 East Washington Streeet.

Important Ellenberger Park Meeting Tuesday Night

2009-05-18T09:30:00.001-04:00

IndyParks is hosting a public meeting to discuss IndyParks
facilities in the Irvington community. At this meeting
officials from IndyParks will be sharing information about
the budget and future of the Ellenberger Park facilities.
You've heard the announcements, rumors, and discussions
about the closing of the Ellenberger Park Ice Rink, this is
your opportunity to hear first hand the information and to
express your opinion and concerns.

This is the one meeting this year you must attend!
Tuesday, May 19th, 6:00pm to 7:00pm
Ellenberger Park Ice Rink

You are invited to come share your thoughts, ideas, wishes
and concerns. Your opinion is very important and we hope
that you can come and take part. A large turn out will not
only expresses the community's support for the ice rink but
indicate support for all our community's parks and facilities.

Mommie Deerest

2009-05-11T09:30:00.000-04:00

Those of you busy early Sunday morning beginning your Mother's Day preparations may have missed the escapades of a young lady frantically running through the streets of Irvington. About 8:30am Sunday morning a young doe (yes, female deer) was seen running along East Washington Street near Audubon Road. Before darting north on Audubon Road, the doe, apparently looking for some low hanging fruit, head-butted and broke the window glass in the front door of Help My Mac! (5630 East Washington Street). Events were witnessed by several at the Starbucks (read Star-BUCKS) including two IMPD officers. (And for the big finish and the only untrue part of the story) An all-points bulletin has been issues for a Jane Doe.

Scheduled to Close

2009-04-27T09:30:00.000-04:00

News broke late last week about the scheduled closing of the Marion County Children's Guardian Home located at 5751 University Avenue. Here's what we know.

On April 16th, the Board of Commissioners of Marion County passed a resolution that orders the closing of the Children's Guardian Home no later than June 30, 2009. The Commission, who has operated the Children's Guardian Home facility since 1992, had been informed by the Indiana Department of Child Services that they would end funding of the facility on June 30th which accounted for a substantial amount of the funding for the Home's programs. With no other sources of funding readily available, the Commission voted for an orderly closing of the facility. The resolution includes a provision that a committee be formed to recommend to the Board of Commissioners the best future use(s) for the facility. The six member committee is to include two Irvington residents.

The Marion County Children's Guardian Home has been a part of the Irvington community for 110 years. Where many communities may not accepted such a facility, Irvington has embraced the children and staff with not only the many volunteers of the Guardian's Home Guild but also the caring and generosity of an uncountable number of Irvingtonians who over the years have given of their time, money, and opened their homes to children served by this facility. Loosing a long term companion like this will be very difficult.

The Irvington Community Council is participating in discussions with the Board of Commissioners and various agencies involved with the ownership and operation of the Marion County Children's Guardian Home to insure Irvington's participation in the many discussions and decisions that lay ahead. We'll keep you posted.

Hellooo Irvington!

2009-03-30T09:30:00.002-04:00

Indianapolis is a city of neighborhoods. Unsung Indy is a dynamic new awareness campaign created to highlight the many benefits and advantages to living in the city's diverse mix of up-and-coming urban communities.

The campaign will launch April 1st and will initially focus on five unique, Indianapolis neighborhoods: Irvington, Holy Cross, Ransom Place, West Indianapolis and Watson-McCord.

Unsung Indy will feature a variety of paid media, along with non-traditional neighborhood signage, everything designed to identify and draw attention to up-and-coming urban neighborhoods located outside the city's downtown mile square.

"The goal of Unsung Indy is to align potential urban dwellers with "unsung" neighborhoods in Indianapolis," says Andy Fraizer, Executive Director of Indiana Association for Community Economic Development (IACED), which is leading the campaign. "Homebuilders and others do an excellent job of promoting the benefits of living in the surrounding counties. This effort is designed to highlight the distinct advantages that many Indianapolis neighborhoods have to offer."

Ellenberger Park Ice Rink

2009-03-30T09:30:00.001-04:00

This past week, and really for the past several years, there have been several statements and rumors about the Ellenberger Park Ice Rink. So we asked for the latest from Eric Nolan, Ellenberger Park manager.

"Ellenberger Ice Rink is not scheduled to close. The building's maintenance needs are significant. We are exploring funding options and determining how to sustain this facility. We seek community input and will communicate any developments with the public. Thank you for your assistance and support of Ellenberger Park and Ice Rink. We will continue to update you with any new information. Thank you again for your dedication and patronage to Ellenberger Park."

Eric M. Nolan
Park Manager
Ellenberger Park
enolan@indygov.org
(317) 327-7176

May Irvington Council Meeting and Party

2008-05-19T10:05:00.006-04:00

Join us for cake and refreshments on Tuesday evening as we celebrate 35 years of the Irvington Community Council.

Our agenda for the evening will include a short presentation from the Friends of Irving Circle about some planned beautification improvements to Irving Circle Park. Our Mayor's Neighborhood Liaison and IMPD officers will be on hand at the beginning of the meeting to provide updates and answer any questions you may have about crime issues or city services.

As always, the Council will offer time for any questions or concerns you may have about community issues and update everyone on several ongoing topics. Council committee reports will include a discussion of upcoming events and land use and zoning cases including requests by Midwest Scooter and the ZLB Plazma Center.

We hope to see you Tuesday night at 7:00pm in Fellowship Hall (basement level) of the Irvington Presbyterian Church, 55 South Johnson Avenue.

Indy East Motel - Meeting Tonight

2008-05-05T10:15:00.000-04:00

Those attending the April meeting of the Irvington Community Council were told that the attorney for the Indy East Motel had made an offer to close the Indy East Motel in exchange for dropping the various legal actions against the motel. There are currently three (3) legal actions surrounding the closing of the Indy East. The terms of the offer proposed by the Indy East include listing the motel property for sale with a licensed real estate broker; closing the motel thirty (30) days after a sale or by the end of this year, which ever comes first; that the owner would not apply for a motel license in 2009 or any time thereafter; and that while the motel remains in operation they would provide uniformed security on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Late last week, the City made a counter offer. The Irvington Community Council has made arrangements for the lead attorney for the City, Mrs. Teri Kendrick, to come to Irvington and discuss the status of the three (3) legal cases and discuss the motel's offer. The discussion will begin at 7:00pm tonight in Room G1 of the Irvington Presbyterian Church, 55 South Johnson Avenue. All in Irvington are welcome and encouraged to attend and find out the latest on the Indy East Motel.

Irvington Meet the Candidates Forum

2008-04-28T11:45:00.000-04:00

Join us this Saturday as the Irvington Community Council hosts its first Meet the Candidates Forum of 2008, just in time for the Indiana primary election.

On Saturday, May 3rd starting at noon you’ll have an opportunity to listen to the candidates speak and meet with them to discuss any issues that are important to you.

If you attended our forum last November, you’ll notice that we’ve added a nostalgic twist to this year’s event: Weather permitting, the candidates will each speak from the front steps of the Bona Thompson Memorial Center overlooking the lawn.

In attendance will be candidates for U.S. Congress District 7, Indiana House District 89, Marion County Superior Court Judges, as well as several others. Will any of the presidential or gubernatorial candidates make an appearance? You’ll just have to show up to find out!

Join us at the Bona Thompson Memorial Center (5350 University Avenue, 353-BONA) this Saturday from Noon to 3:00pm for an afternoon of food, refreshment, and discussion.

And don’t forget to get out and VOTE next Tuesday, May 6th.

Summary of March Council Meeting

2008-03-24T09:00:00.001-04:00

The rainy March evening brought out about 35 Irvingtonians including our Warren Township Neighborhood Liaison Carman Lethig and District 21 City-County Councilor Ben Hunter to hear several presentations and neighborhood news. The evening began with the introduction of the new Commanders for Irvington's IMPD Districts, Major Clifford Myers, Commander of the Southeast District (south of Washington Street) and Major Becky Lake, Commander of the Northeast District (north of Washington Street). The Commanders discussed several issues important to Irvington including prostitution, the Indy East Motel, and placing Irvington in one IMPD district. Questions from those attending the meeting included a concern about a noisy neighbor and gang tags that have recently appeared in the neighborhood.

The next presentation was from Chad Lethig with the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana (HLFI). They are planning a preservation workshop that will be held in Irvington. The workshop (now planned for Saturday, May 17th) will include sessions on repairing windows, tuckpointing masonry, and regulations for historic districts including information about how to obtain the Certificate of Appropriateness (COA).

The final presentation of the evening was from Rick Zeigler who is in the process of purchasing the Irving Theater. Mr. Zeigler explained that even with limited experience in promoting concerts, his vision for the Irving Theater is to create an all ages venue that primarily features rock concerts and may on occasions serve liquor. The concert schedule would include at least two concerts a week. He plans to invest approximately $250,000 in renovating the facility including roof repairs, adding bathrooms, and installing a new heating system. Nearly 20 questions on a wide variety of topics were asked by those gathered to hear the presentation. Answers revealed additional details including that, due to cost limitations, seating would not be installed and that acoustic sound proofing likely would not be part of the project. Other details included an anticipated concert capacity of 900 to 1000 people and that parking issues may still remain.

During the issues portion of the meeting, it was brought to the Council's attention that one, possibly two group homes had or were planning to open in Irvington. Several people attending the meeting had some additional information about the homes and about rules that regulate them. It was also announced that two internet safety workshops would be held in Irvington; one geared towards adults on April 10th and the other on April 12th for kids.

The Council Events Committee reported that the first meeting of the Irvington Halloween Festival Committee would be on March 19th and followed by meetings each month on the Monday before the Irvington Community Council meetings. It was also announced that Irvington will participate in the Great American Clean-up on April 26th. The Municipal Services Committee report on the proposed new bike lanes from Irvington to downtown which spawned a discussion of about the bike lanes as they go through Irvington. And it was also reported that North Ritter Avenue and North Emerson Avenue will soon receive new street pavement.

In other business, the Council voted to accept the resignation of Katherine Bull, to participate in a discussion to brand Irvington, and to financially support the upcoming HLFI preservation workshop. All this information, discussions, announcements, and much more in just under two hours. More on many of the announcements and projects can be found here in the weeks to come, but you are still encouraged to attend any of our meetings and participate in the discussion. The next meeting of the Irvington Community Council is Tuesday, April 15th.

March Irvington Community Council Meeting

2008-03-17T11:03:00.005-04:00

The March meeting of the Irvington Community Council will include several guest presentations and discussions. As with most of our meetings, IMPD officers will be available at the beginning of the meeting to provide updates and answer questions. This month newly appointed Southeast District Commander, Major Cliff Meyers will stop by to introduce himself and discuss crime and enforcement issues. Rick Ziegler, the current owner of Indy CD & Vinyl in Broad Ripple, will discuss his ongoing efforts to purchase the Irving Theater and what he has planned for the building. Chad Lethig, the Indianapolis Preservation Coordinator for the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana, will be on hand to discuss an upcoming preservation and restoration workshop that will be held in Irvington on Saturday, April 12th.

And as always, the Council will offer time for any questions or concerns you may have about community issues and update everyone on the ongoing topics. Council committee reports will include the first Halloween Festival Meeting of 2008 on March 19th.

And if past meetings are any indicator, we'll also most likely have a few of our elected officials in attendance. We hope to see you Tuesday night at 7:00pm in Fellowship Hall (basement level) of the Irvington Presbyterian Church.

(not so extreme) Makeover

2008-01-28T11:50:00.000-05:00

Starting with this issue of IRVINGTON this week, the Irvington Community Council's weekly emailed newsletter, we are trying a couple of minor modifications to this newsletter in the hope that we can better keep you informed and involved in the issues and events in Irvington.

Each week the Irvington Community Council receives a number of questions about a wide variety of issues and happenings in Irvington. Some of the questions may be ones that you had thought about asking and the answers may be ones that would benefit more than just the person asking the question. So, periodically we will have a section of the newsletter we are calling "Q & A" with some of the questions (and answers) we receive. We hope this helps keep you better informed about your neighborhood.

And we've been asked to create a weekly calendar of events that is more printable. The calendar you see each week at the bottom of the newsletter was intended to be something you could print, pin-up, and easily refer to all week. But that doesn't work so well, so for the next couple of weeks we will be providing an easy to download, printable, one page, color calendar. You can download this week's calendar here.

Let us know what you think of the changes.

Judge Orders Indy East Motel Closed

2008-01-21T11:49:00.000-05:00

Judge Michael Keele has ruled in favor of the City of Indianapolis and ordered the Indy East Motel to cease operation on or before January 31, 2008.

A copy of the Judge’s order can be found here.

George W. Julian School 57 Announcement

2008-01-21T11:46:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday, January 9th, Dr. Eugene White, Superintendent for the Indianapolis Public Schools, along with most of the members of the Board of School Commissioners, outlined the new school program to teachers, parents, and students of the George W. Julian School. The new school program, which in other states goes by the name "Fundamental School", based on setting very high expectations for behavior and academic excellence. A delegation of parents and administrators visited the Pinellas County (Florida) Schools late last year and found a structured environment with an updated "back to basics" approach and joint parent-teacher-student commitment. The Board of School Commissioners recently changed the boundaries for School 57 to include more of Irvington and allow most elementary age students living in Irvington to enroll in the program.

City's Request to Close the Indy East Motel

2007-12-07T23:41:00.000-05:00

After several hearings and briefs from attorneys over the past several weeks, the hearing of the City’s request to close the Indy East Motel began this morning. The issue before Superior Court 12 Judge Michael Keele was the request for a preliminary injunction that would require the Indy East Motel to cease operation. To obtain an injunction, the Petitioner, in this case the City of Indianapolis, has the burden to proving each of four criteria. After nearly three hours of witnesses, motions, and verbal sparing, Judge Keele ruled that two of the four burdens had been met, but that he still had questions about the remaining two criteria. Judge Keele asked each attorney to submit a brief on those two issues by December 14^th. He noted that he would rule on the issue soon after receiving the briefs. We’ll keep you posted.

INDY EAST MOTEL APPEAL DENIED

2007-10-29T11:43:00.000-04:00

UPDATE MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19th, 8:00AM
On Friday November 16th, Judge Keele heard arguments from attorneys for the City of Indianapolis and the Indy East Motel regarding a request by the City to require the motel to close after the Judge upheld, on October 26th, the revocation of their motel license. Prior to the hearing, the attorney for the Indy East Motel had filed two motions with the court arguing that notice had not properly been given to the motel owner and that a May 2006 stay allowing the motel to remain open during the appeal process was still in force. The attorney for the City provided evidence that in several instances motel representatives had used the motel address as the only address for contacting the owner including on an application for a motel license submitted to the City the previous day. The City’s attorney also pointed out that if notice was not properly given to the motel owner, how did the attorney for the motel receive notice to appear on his client’s behalf. Judge Keele disposed of the second motion by reaffirming his October 26th ruling that sets aside the May 2006 stay.

The issue remaining before the court is whether rules that govern the City's License Review Board will allow the motel to remain open during further appeals. While an appeal of the Judge Keele October 26^th ruling revoking the motel license has not yet been filed, the motel owner has until the end of November to take such action. Judge Keele asked attorneys to file finding by November 30^th and set a new court date for Friday, December 7th at 9:00am.

Judge Keele spent the last few minutes of the hearing reminding everyone in attendance that while the legal arguments and continuances may be frustrating, the court takes the closing of any business very seriously and must carefully consider each and every issue.

UPDATE FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2007, 8:00AM
The enforcement hearing for the Indy East Motel is set for Friday, November 16th at 9:00am in Superior Court 12 located at 902 Virginia Avenue.

If granted, the enforcement action would require the Indy East Motel to close and could allow the City to enforce that order by boarding and securing the building. The City's request also asks that the motel owner be fined the maximum allowed, $2,500 per day, for each day the motel has stayed open since the original order two weeks ago. As with the other hearings, a strong Irvington presents in the courtroom Friday would help illustrate that Irvington is serious about this issue. We hope to see you Friday, November 16th.

UPDATE TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2007, 12:30PM
City officials meet today with members from the community to discuss the Indy East Motel decision and the next steps. Since the time of Judge Keele’s ruling, the Indy East Motel has been operating illegally and in contempt of the Judge’s order. Lawyers from the City will file today a request with the Court requiring the motel business to close and allowing the City to board and padlock the building. The City will also begin implementation of a plan to assist the current residents of the Indy East Motel that is similar to the multi-agency plan put in place in May of 2006 when the motel license was first revoked. The process may take up to two week. The owner of the Indy East Motel still has 30 days to appeal the decision to the Indiana Court of Appeals or ask Judge Keele to reconsider his ruling. We’ll keep you posted.

UPDATE MONDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2007, 5:00 PM
There will be a short public meeting regarding the Indy East Motel decision and the next steps to be held Tuesday, October 30^th at 11:30pm in the Fellowship Hall of Irvington Presbyterian Church.

We have just been informed that Judge Michael Keele has ruled to deny the appeal made by the owners of the Indy East Motel.

The denial of the appeal means that the motel license for the Indy East Motel has been revoked and the restraining order allowing the motel to stay open during the appeal process has been vacated.

We will provide you with more information and what this means for the Indy East Motel as we find out later today and this week. Watch your email for updates as well as check the Irvington Community Council website (http://www.irvingtoncouncil.com) for more information. We should have a complete update at the next meeting of the Irvington Community Council on November 20th at 7:00pm in Fellowship Hall of the Irvington Presbyterian Church.

Community Communication

2007-04-16T10:26:00.000-04:00

The most recent issue of Irvington this week marks nearly five years of the Irvington Community Council sending out an emailed newsletter and now 34 years of, in some way, informing you about what the Council does and what is happening in the community. For the past 52 issues, the newsletter has been published weekly. We hope you have found the past 52 weeks informative and enjoyable. We are planning to again make improvements to not only this newsletter but other ways we communicate with the Irvington community and would greatly appreciate your comments.

How can we improve the Irvington this week newsletter? What do you like or don't like? What would you like to see added or removed? Are there other ways you would prefer receiving community news?

Registered Sex Offenders

2007-04-11T12:36:00.000-04:00

As many of you may know, some of the apartments and business owners along East Washington Street cater to a cliental that is not typically found in Irvington. In particular, the Indiana Sheriff’s Sex Offender Registry has indicated that several people listed on that registry now reside in buildings along East Washington Street.

Two years ago when the current Board of Directors of the Irvington Community Council was elected to office, they were asked to establish a goal or project that they as a Board wished to focus on for their two-year term. The Council voted to focus on crime in Irvington. This is a mammoth undertaking and one that reaches far beyond Irvington. But none the less, the Council began the task. We began with community meetings to ask what issues or problems would be best to address. The meetings were not well attended, but none the less the Council set out to make a difference focusing first on East Washington Street. As part of that focus, the Council began discussions with the apartment owners along East Washington Street. In particular was an apartment building that housed large number of people who appeared on the Indiana Sheriff’s Sex Offender Registry. That effort continues today to include a variety of issues and most of the larger apartment building owners. In November 2005 the Council voted unanimously to ask the City to review the motel license for the Indy East Motel (5855 East Washington Street) – an effort that also continues today. Over the past several months, more and more people who appear on the Indiana Sheriff’s Sex Offender Registry were claiming residency at the Indy East Motel. Again the number of registered sex offenders seemed unreasonable to have housed in one location, especially in a business that has, according to City officials, had nearly 900 police runs in a recent five year period. When this information came to the attention of the Council, we began contacting the Department of Corrections as well as many, if not all, of our elected officials.

This morning the Council received a telephone call from the Office of the Governor stating that the registered sex offenders placed in Irvington by the Department of Corrections will be relocated outside of Irvington. For security reasons, few details can be released, but we were assured this morning that relocation would begin soon and be completed in a reasonable time and that this effort is not limited to those currently housed at the Indy East Motel.

We would like to thank all those who helped in our effort, including Jeff Bennett the Warren Township Trustee, Sheriff Frank Anderson and his staff that work with registered sex offenders, State Representative Larry Buell, State Senator Pat Miller, the Office of the Governor, the Department of Corrections and those on the Council who gave their time, as well as all of you who contacted your elected representatives and the Department of Corrections.

Indy East Motel Hearing Update

2007-04-05T12:42:00.000-04:00

With nearly 20 Irvington residents present and just over two hours of discussion, the hearing about the license for the Indy East Motel was continued. The date for the continued hearing was not announced but four dates within the next two weeks were offered by the Court for all parties to find an agreeable date.

The hearing started with the first of the two items to be discussed, the request by the attorney for the Indy East Motel to have the November 2006 decision of the License Review Board reviewed by the Court. Attorneys for the City had filed a motion that the Indy East Motel's request for review improperly stated the process under which the issue would be reviewed. Judge Keele took the matter under advisement.

The main issue to be discussed was the City's request to have the stay issued last May removed. Once the stay is remove, the City could proceed with the process to close the Indy East Motel. Before the issue of the stay could be discussed, the attorney for the Indy East Motel challenged a ruling made by Judge Keele earlier this week that quashed two subpoenas served at the request of the Indy East Motel on the Mayor of Indianapolis and the City's Chief Information Officer. After much discussion and a 10 minute recess, Judge Keele determined that testimony from these two individuals may be important to this action and would provide due process for the Indy East Motel owner. To limit any delays, Judge Keele offered four (4) dates, two each for the next two weeks, for the attorneys and City officials to verify schedules and agree to appear.

Once we know the new date and time, we will post it on our website, newsletter, and this blog as well as notices in some of the storefronts in Irvington. If you have questions, we will do the best we can to answer them.

School Zone Signals

2007-03-24T20:00:00.000-04:00

The Irvington Community Council has for years worked to bring better markings to the IPS 57 and Our Lady of Lourdes school zones along East Washington Street. Last year new fluorescent yellow school zone and crosswalk signs were installed at each end and throughout the school zones.

The Council has been participating for the past few months in meetings about the Super70 project. As part of the discussion of the Super70 impact on neighborhoods, we again made the request for better school zone markings. At the most recent meeting it was announced that the State has agreed to purchase about 10 signals similar to the one recently installed on East Michigan Street. These would have the radar that blinks a cars speed and unlike the ones on East Michigan Street these would be solar powered. The City is planning to make these temporary installations in eastside school zones during the Super70 project. It is assumed that after the Super70 project is complete the units will be given to the City and some of the temporary installations would be made permanent. It is also assumed the East Washington Street signals would be made permanent. We could get four signals, one at each end of the two school zones, but most likely will get two, one on the north side of East Washington Street near Layman and one on the south side near Butler. The City expects to take delivery in the next few weeks. We'll keep you posted or maybe we should say - hopefully soon you will see your speed posted.

Indy East Hearing - April 5th 9:00am

2007-03-19T08:45:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday March 13th, attorneys for the Indy East Motel and the City of Indianapolis met with Judge Michael Keele for a pre-trial hearing regarding the license for the motel. Members of the community were not allowed in the pre-trial hearing, but Judge Keele was informed that the
Council was there to represent the Irvington community. The hearing will involve the discussion between the attorneys about two issues. The attorneys will discuss the rules under which a review of the decision of the City's License Review Board will proceed as well as reviewing that decision. The attorneys will also discuss the status of a restraining order or stay issued last May that keeps the City of Indianapolis from closing motel.

Judge Keele set the hearing for Thursday April 5th at9:00am in his court room located at 902 Virginia Avenue in Fountain Square. Irvington residents are welcome and encouraged to attend. Residents will not be asked to speak but will be acknowledge in the courtroom.